Grades of Reverend: A Satirical Note
By J. H. W.
“The English Churchman, having claimed the title ‘reverend’ as exclusively their own, are now proceeding to distribute it in grades. Ministers in charge are of course ‘reverend,’ bishops are ‘right reverend,’ the actual deans of abbeys and cathedrals are ‘very reverend’; there are also a large number of rural deans not quite up to this mark, and it is proposed to call them ‘rather reverend.’ It is now suggested to confer the ‘rather’ or ‘very reverend,’ it is not quite clear which, upon the Deans of Convocation in the United States, and to designate deacons as ‘quite reverend,’ and lay deputies as ‘almost reverend.’”— Sel. We think the degree of “Ex. Rev.” should be added. It does not sound well to read in the paper that Reverend So-and-so has been suspended for criminal conduct. Reverend criminals! Also in many cases “Pseudo-Reverend” would be an appropriate title. Let them be classified, by all means. J. H. W.